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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24526009">How We Love Each Other</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachylovestory/pseuds/peachylovestory'>peachylovestory</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>My Engineer the Series Love Stories [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>My Engineer (TV), My Engineer (TV) RPF, มีช็อป มีเกียร์ มีเมียรึยังวะ | My Engineer the Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cuddling, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Food mention, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Slice of Life, Third Person POV, Xenophobia, brief sex mention, dinner and movie date night, post ep 14, sleep over, slight angst in ch 2, two unnamed ocs are xenophobic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:08:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,500</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24526009</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachylovestory/pseuds/peachylovestory</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s not that Bohn and Duen are spending more time together after the camping trip. Their schedules haven’t changed—they still have classes and homework and younger relatives to look after. They aren’t spending more time together, but since coming back, the way they spend time together has changed.</p><p>Ch 1: Date night + sleepover<br/>Ch 2: Play date in the park with Ben and Daonua</p><p>Please do not copy to other sites.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bohn/Duen (My Engineer)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>My Engineer the Series Love Stories [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1868554</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>114</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Dinner and a Movie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I can't wait to see how Bohn and Duen's relationship develop in season 2! I wanted to write something soft for them after finishing season 1 because I think their relationship has taken a step forward and I wanted to explore that. </p><p>A couple of disclaimers:<br/>-Nothing from My Engineer belongs to me.<br/>-I haven't written fanfiction in a long time, please forgive any mistakes because there are definitely some I didn't catch while editing.<br/>-I am unfamiliar with Thai honorifics. I know that Bohn and Duen don't use them for each other, but they come up, especially in the second chapter with the appearance of Ben and Daonua. My understanding comes from my observations while watching dramas and from some Wikipedia digs-- please forgive me if I misuse them or misunderstand another part of Thai culture. I'd like to learn more, so feel free to share information or resources in the comments.</p><p>p.s I mention <i>Knives Out</i> (it's the last movie I saw). I also do not own that, and I didn't go into any details so this is spoiler free.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s not that Bohn and Duen are spending more time together after the camping trip. Their schedules haven’t changed—they still have classes and homework and younger relatives to look after. They aren’t spending more time together, but since coming back, the way they spend time together has changed.</p><p>Duen feels more comfortable around Bohn. He is starting to understand that even though his boyfriend likes to be physically affectionate, his affections aren’t necessarily sexual. Even if Bohn starts to feel that way, he has shown Duen that he is willing to match Duen’s pace and respect the boundaries that he sets. They've started to hold hands when they're in public, but only on campus and when they are alone or with friends. When they are at Bohn’s, they hug, cuddle, and sometimes kiss. </p><p>Duen’s discovered that he really likes kissing, although he's still shy about it. Bohn never kisses him like he did for their first kiss—he always gives some indication that he wants a kiss. Usually, he leans in slowly and leaves it up to Duen to close the gap. Other times he says, “kiss,” and puckers his lips until Duen kisses him. Sometimes he just puckers his lips and stares at Duen until Duen notices and kisses him. If he takes too long to notice or respond, Bohn’s puckered lips change into a pout.</p><p>Thoughts of kissing Bohn linger in the back of Duen’s mind as he sits in the library. It’s Friday, so the library is mostly empty. Duen doesn’t have afternoon classes on Fridays, but Bohn does, so he studies in the library until Bohn is done with class so they can leave together.</p><p>He checks the time and sighs. Bohn has another hour of class left and Duen can’t focus on his biology textbook.</p><p><i>Whatever</i>, he thinks and closes his book. He and his friends meet up Sunday afternoons to finish their homework and study together—he’ll finish his reading then.</p><p>He puts his books away and rests his head on the table. Folding his arms under his head, he closes his eyes.</p><p>———————————————————————————————</p><p>“Duen.”</p><p>Duen opens one eye. Bohn is looking down at him. He sits up, rolls his shoulders, and stretches.</p><p>“Bohn,” he smiles at his senior. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” He checks the time. Bohn’s class ended half an hour ago. “Were you waiting long?”</p><p>“No, our professor let us out late. I just got here. I didn’t expect to find you sleeping, but it’s good. You’ll have plenty of energy for tonight,” Bohn teases.</p><p>“Bohn!” Duen lightly smacks his arm.</p><p>“What? All I mean is that you won’t fall asleep while we’re watching a movie tonight.”</p><p>“Whatever,” Duen grumbles. “Is it fun to tease me?”</p><p>“Yes.” Bohn picks up the junior’s bag and slings it over his shoulder. He reaches out his hand. “Come on, let’s go.”</p><p>Duen takes Bohn’s hand and they walk to Bohn’s car. Bohn opens the door for him before putting their bags in the back.</p><p>“What do you want for dinner tonight?” Duen asks as they drive to the market.</p><p>Bohn hums and drums his fingers on the steering wheel. “We have a lot of rice…”</p><p>It's true, they do have a lot of rice. Duen bought a 25 pound bag of rice the other week because it was on sale. It’s currently taking up a good chunk of counter space in Bohn’s kitchen, unopened because they are still finishing the 10 pound bag of rice that Duen bought earlier in the month. </p><p>“Let’s have pork and basil stir fry,” Bohn decides.</p><p>Duen smiles and nods. That’s easy to make, and he can make enough for Bohn to have leftovers for the week.</p><p>At the market, they get the ingredients for dinner and choose a snack for their movie. Bohn also buys a couple of groceries for the week. </p><p>“No instant noodles,” Duen scolds when he sees Bohn trying to put a couple packets into the cart without him noticing. Bohn pouts. Duen pouts back. “Bohn,” he whines, “I want you to eat healthy food.” He puts the noodles back on the shelf. “You do so well with the simple dishes that I taught you, don’t just have instant noodles all the time.”</p><p>Bohn puts the noodles back in the cart. “I know, but what if I’m feeling lazy? Just in case?” he pleads and tugs on Duen’s shirt.</p><p>Duen smiles sweetly—Bohn is so cute sometimes—before looking sternly at his boyfriend. “No,” he says firmly and puts the noodles back on the shelf. “Besides, you already have several packets of noodles hidden around your kitchen.” He starts to walk away with the cart.</p><p>“Wait,” Bohn says when he catches up to him, “you know about my stash?”</p><p>Duen rolls his eyes and smiles. “Bohn, I know your kitchen better than you do. Of course I know about your stash. It’s okay to eat instant noodles every now and then, but I hope that you won’t eat them every night. It’s not healthy.” He gives the senior’s tummy a small poke.</p><p>“You’re just with me for my body,” Bohn teases.</p><p>“I am,” Duen teases back, blushing slightly. Bohn blushes too—Duen doesn’t usually tease him like that. </p><p>“Uh, let’s go check out,” Duen says. “Unless you need anything else?”</p><p>Bohn shakes his head and takes the cart from Duen. They walk over to the check out station. Bohn pays for most of the groceries, Duen pays for some of the ingredients for dinner and their movie snacks. </p><p>Back at Bohn’s, they carry the groceries and their school bags inside. They place the groceries on the counter and Bohn takes Duen’s school bag from him to put in his room, setting his own school bag on a chair at the bar. They put the groceries away together, leaving the ingredients for the pork and basil stir fry on the counter.</p><p>“Have a clementine while you do your homework, since we’re eating a little later tonight,” Duen says and hands Bohn a clementine. Bohn smiles and accepts the fruit. He settles into his usual chair at the kitchen bar and pulls out his notebook, textbook, and pen from his school bag. </p><p>In the kitchen, Duen looks at the remaining rice in the 10 pound bag. The bag is almost empty, but there's more than what they needed for dinner. He decides to cook up all of the rice and they could have the leftovers with an omelette for breakfast tomorrow.</p><p>“Do you want music?” Bohn asks him as he washes the rice.</p><p>“Yes, please.”</p><p>Bohn nods. They have a couple of joint playlists, and one is specifically for when Bohn studies while Duen cooks.</p><p>The music starts to play softly from a small Bluetooth speaker. Bohn focuses on his homework and Duen starts the rice cooker and begins to prepare the ingredients.</p><p>Duen likes to prepare all of the ingredients before he turns on the stove. He rinses the basil and places it with the pork next to the stove. He combines the ingredients for the sauce into one bowl and places that on the counter with the pork and basil. He dices the chilies and measures out the chicken broth. Finally, he slices the shallots and pushes them to one end of the cutting board. He pours oil into the pan and turns on the stove, allowing it to heat up as he minces the garlic.</p><p>The minced garlic and sliced shallots go into the pan first, followed by the chilies. After a couple of minutes, he turns up the heat and adds the pork. Using a turner spatula, he pushes the pork around in the pan so it breaks up into small pieces and becomes crispy. He adds the sauce and mixes it in while it cooks. The broth follows, and after the liquid cooks off, he adds in the basil. </p><p>When the basil wilts, he turns off the stove and starts to get the dishes from the cupboard. This is Bohn’s signal to put his books and school bag away and wash up for dinner.</p><p>Bohn gets water for the two of them and smiles when Duen places his bowl in front of him.</p><p>They eat in silence, the music still softly playing in the background. Duen doesn’t need Bohn to say anything to know how much he likes the food. Bohn is very transparent in his appreciation for Duen’s cooking. He always finishes his meals with a big smile and a satisfied hum, and when he’s particularly happy he will give Duen a small kiss on the cheek before taking his dishes to the sink. Today’s kiss is a little greasy.</p><p>Bohn usually finishes eating first, and after he places his dish in the sink, he puts any leftovers into the fridge and starts doing the dishes. He hasn’t always done this. In the early stages of their relationship, Duen had to ask Bohn to help him clean up. Eventually he helped without being asked. Since they came back from the camping trip, Bohn cleaned up the kitchen all by himself.</p><p>“You made dinner,” he said when Duen tried to help, “so I’ll do the dishes. Go and take your shower, I’ll take mine when you’re done.”</p><p>Duen smiles as he finishes his dinner. “Was it good?” he asks Bohn, even though he knows his boyfriend's answer.</p><p>Bohn looks up from the sink. “Of course,” he says as he places a dish on the drying rack. He reaches out and Duen hands his dishes to him. “My boyfriend is the best cook.”</p><p>Duen smiles widely and looks down. He likes cooking for others, but no one appreciates his food like Bohn does. </p><p>“Go shower,” Bohn says and turns his attention back to the dishes. </p><p>Duen nods, but before he goes to shower, he walks into the kitchen quietly. He stands behind Bohn, but isn’t noticed until he rests his forehead on the senior’s right shoulder. Bohn jumps a little and looks back at Duen surprised. Duen hasn’t done this before.</p><p>“Duen,” Bohn huffs while smiling and puts down the sponge.</p><p>Duen shifts so his chin rests on Bohn’s shoulder and moves both of his hands so they’re lightly placed on Bohn’s waist. He stares at Bohn for a second before he gives him a small kiss on the cheek.</p><p>He can feel himself blushing. “I’ll go shower now,” he says quickly and tries to pull away. Bohn catches his wrist and turns to face him. He’s smiling widely.</p><p>“Kiss,” Bohn says and puckers his lips, but it looks a little silly since he’s smiling as he does.</p><p>“I just gave you one.”</p><p>Bohn shakes his head. “Kiss,” he says again. “Kiss,” he whines when Duen doesn’t respond.</p><p>“Bohn,” Duen whines back, “I just gave you a kiss. Let me go shower.”</p><p>“Mmm!” Bohn whines, his lips still puckered, although his pucker starts to look like a pout.</p><p>Duen rolls his eyes and frees his wrist from Bohn’s grasp. Bohn is fully pouting now. Duen holds his boyfriend’s face lightly between his hands and plants a small kiss on his pout.</p><p>“Finish washing the dishes. I’m going to shower. I’ll kiss you more later,” Duen promises as he holds Bohn’s still pouting face between his hands. “Okay?”</p><p>Bohn nods and Duen lets go of his face. Bohn turns back to do the dishes and Duen goes into the bedroom.</p><p>He pulls out the set of pajamas that he keeps at Bohn’s. Since they came back from the camping trip, Duen spends more nights at Bohn’s, so Bohn set aside a space in his dresser for him to keep some clothes. The pajamas that he pulls out are part of a couple’s set that their friends gave them for their one month anniversary. It's a little embarrassing that their friends gave them matching <i>pajamas</i> of all things, but Duen likes it when he matches with his boyfriend. He wants to buy them more couple's outfits the next time they go to the mall.</p><p>Duen showers quickly and washes his hair with Bohn’s shampoo. He doesn’t usually wash his hair when he stays at Bohn’s, but his hair is due for a wash. He dries off and stares at the sink. At first he only kept a toothbrush at Bohn’s. Then deodorant, moisturizer, and a razor joined and now the sink is divided with Bohn’s stuff on the left and Duen’s on the right. It leaves him with a warm feeling as he gets dressed and dries his hair.</p><p>While Bohn showers, Duen moves the comforter from the bed to the couch. He places the snacks they bought earlier on the coffee table before sitting down. He pulls the comforter over his lap, turns on the television, and starts browsing.</p><p>He hasn’t found anything by the time Bohn joins him on the couch, wearing the matching set of pajamas.</p><p>“Is there any movie that you want to watch?” Duen asks.</p><p>“Nothing caught your eye?” Bohn asks as he reaches for his snack.</p><p>Duen shakes his head. His go to suggestion is usually a Ghibli movie, but last weekend King invited everybody over to watch as many Studio Ghibli movies as they could find. </p><p>Duen hands Bohn the remote and picks up his snack. They always buy snacks to eat during the movie, but it always takes them a while to choose, so they always finish their snack before the movie starts. Bohn is already halfway finished with his snack.</p><p>“Mek and Boss said that <i>Knives Out</i> was good,” Bohn says through a full mouth.</p><p>“<i>Knives out</i>?”</p><p>“It’s like a mystery movie I think. Do you want to watch the trailer?”</p><p>“Mhm.”</p><p>They sit back and watch the trailer. By the time it’s finished, they’ve also finished their snacks.</p><p>“Let’s watch it,” Duen says and the other nods. “I’ll get the lights.”</p><p>After turning off all of the lights, Duen settles back onto the couch. “Are the subtitles on?” he asks when Bohn presses play.</p><p>“They’re not,” Bohn realizes, “let me turn them on.”</p><p>Lights off, subtitles on, and empty snack bags on the table, Bohn and Duen sit close together under the comforter and become engrossed in the movie.</p><p>At some point, Bohn puts his arm around Duen’s shoulder and Duen cuddles closer to his boyfriend. </p><p>"Did you use my shampoo?" Bohn asks. He pushes his nose against Duen's head and sniffs.</p><p>Duen nods, still focused on the film. "My hair was greasy," he explains. Bohn hums and tightens his arm around Duen. He keeps his nose close to his boyfriend's head.</p><p>"Stop sniffing me and pay attention to the movie." </p><p>Bohn huffs and turns his nose slightly away from Duen's head. He doesn't sniff his head again, but throughout the movie Duen hears him inhale deeply through his nose.</p><p>By the end of the movie, Bohn is lying on his back, his head rests on a pillow and is turned towards the television. Duen lies on his side, his back presses up against the back of the couch and his head rests on Bohn’s chest. They hold each other in a loose embrace under the comforter and Bohn plays with the hair at the nape of Duen’s neck.</p><p>As the end credits roll, Bohn reaches out to the table for the remote and turns off the television. Without the light from the TV, the room is dark. Bohn reaches blindly behind himself for the tableside lamp. Fumbling with the chain when he finds it, he pulls down lightly, and the room becomes dimly lit with a soft yellow glow.</p><p>“Did you fall asleep?” he asks his boyfriend.</p><p>Duen shifts his head so his chin is resting on Bohn’s chest. “I didn’t.”</p><p>Bohn ruffles his hair and smiles at him. “Did you like the movie?”</p><p>Duen moves his head back to how it was before. “I did. The ending was satisfying, and I liked that I could figure out who the real culprit was before the detective revealed the truth.”</p><p>“Me too. Mek and Boss talked so much about it at lunch the other day, I’m glad that they didn’t spoil the ending.”</p><p>Duen hums in acknowledgment. His eyes are growing heavy.</p><p>“Tired?” Bohn asks.</p><p>“A little,” Duen admits. He yawns. “But I didn’t fall asleep at all this time.”</p><p>“How does it feel to see the end of the movie?” Bohn teases. </p><p>“I see the end of movies,” Duen protests.</p><p>The senior rolls his eyes. “I find the spot where you fell asleep and you watch the rest of the movie with breakfast in the morning.”</p><p>“That still counts.”</p><p>“As you say.”</p><p>They cuddle on the couch for a little longer. Eventually, Duen grabs his phone from the coffee table to check the time. “What time do we have to be up tomorrow?” he asks his boyfriend as he unlocks his phone.</p><p>“My aunt will drop N'Ben off around 10:00 tomorrow morning.”</p><p>“Let's wake up around 8:30,” Duen decides as he opens the clock on his phone to set an alarm. "Okay?"</p><p>“Mhm. What time are we picking N’Daonua up?”</p><p>“Around 11:30 I think. I’ll call home before we leave to make sure she’s ready.” Duen sits up and holds the comforter around his shoulders. “Let’s go to bed since we’ll be busy tomorrow.”</p><p>Bohn sits up and shakes his head. “We can’t go to bed yet.”</p><p>“What? Why not?”</p><p>Bohn puckers his lips.</p><p>“Now?”</p><p>“You promised,” Bohn pouts.</p><p><i>That’s right, he had promised</i>. 

</p><p>Duen sighs, but he’s smiling as he leans in and kisses Bohn, who smiles briefly against his lips before kissing him back. </p><p>They kiss for a while—longer than they normally do. Kissing Bohn is so nice. Bohn cradles his face with one hand, the other rests on Duen’s arm. Duen has one hand placed on his boyfriend’s chest and uses the other hold himself up. Bohn always kisses him enthusiastically, and Duen usually finds himself falling backwards as Bohn leans over him—tonight is no exception.</p><p>Duen pushes himself upright, forcing Bohn back. He doesn’t stop kissing him, but uses his newly freed hand to hold Bohn’s face in the same way that Bohn holds his. He kisses his boyfriend slowly and deeply. When he pulls away, Bohn’s eyes are still closed and he’s smiling. </p><p>“Let’s go to bed now,” Duen whispers softly.</p><p>Bohn opens his eyes and rests his forehead against Duen’s. “My boyfriend wants to move so fast tonight,” he teases quietly.</p><p>Duen rolls his eyes. “You never pass up an opportunity to tease me,” he complains, although he’s smiling while he says it.</p><p>They stand up from the couch. The comforter fell to the floor while they were kissing, and Duen picks it up and wraps it around himself. Bohn picks up the empty snack bags.</p><p>“Will you get the light,” Bohn requests as he throws the bags in the trash. </p><p>Duen turns off the lamp and follows Bohn into the bedroom. He spreads the comforter out on the bed while Bohn brushes his teeth. After Duen brushes his teeth, he joins his boyfriend in bed. </p><p>The lack of a pillow barrier is a much more recent development. Kissing and cuddling on the couch is one thing, but doing it in bed is different. Luckily, Bohn seems to understand this without Duen explaining. Tonight, they fall asleep lying on their backs, their hands linked between them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Picnic in the Park</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The first chapter is completely (mostly?) told from Duen's perspective. This one switches a little between Bohn and Duen.</p><p>A couple of disclaimers (copied (mostly) from the last chapter)<br/>-Nothing from My Engineer belongs from me.<br/>-I haven't written fanfiction in a long time, please forgive any mistakes because there are definitely some I didn't catch while editing.<br/>-I am unfamiliar with Thai honorifics. I know that Bohn and Duen don't use them for each other, but they come up in this chapter with the addition of Daonua and Ben. My understanding comes from my observations while watching dramas and from some Wikipedia digs. Please forgive me if I misuse them or misunderstand another part of Thai culture. I'd like to learn more so feel free to share information or resources in the comments.<br/>-p.s. Super Smash Bros is mentioned too, briefly, and idk how to tell you this, but I don't own that either.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Duen hits snooze when his alarm goes off. He vaguely registers Bohn moving next to him as he lets himself fall back asleep.</p><p>Bohn gets dressed as his boyfriend goes back to sleep. Duen is still asleep when he comes out of the bathroom. They stayed up later than they should have last night—Duen’s week had been especially draining.</p><p>Bohn turns off Duen’s alarm before it can go off again. He squats down next to the bed so his face is level with his sleeping boyfriend’s. </p><p>“Hey. Duen,” Bohn says softly. Duen slowly opens one eye. “I’m going to go buy coffee. Do you want me to get breakfast too?”</p><p>“No, I’ll get up and make it. We have leftover rice,” Duen says as he sits up. He stretches and yawns.</p><p>“Okay,” Bohn says standing up. “I’ll be quick. Don’t go back to sleep, alright?”</p><p>“Mhm, I’m up.” Duen turns so he’s sitting on the edge of the bed, his feet planted on the floor. He leans back on one hand while rubbing his face with the other. </p><p>“Be back soon,” Bohn promises. He leans down and kisses Duen’s forehead before leaving.</p><p>Duen is dressed and whisking the eggs together by the time Bohn comes back.</p><p>“Iced mocha,” he says and hands Duen the drink.</p><p>“Thank you.” Duen accepts the drink and takes a sip before setting it down. “Will you turn on the stove and put some oil in the pan?” he asks Bohn.</p><p>“Mhm,” Bohn hums around the straw of his iced latte. “I’ll reheat the rice too.”</p><p>It doesn’t take long to finish making breakfast. They eat slowly and go over the details of the day’s agenda. Ben is dropped off shortly after they finish washing the dishes. </p><p>“P’Duen!” Ben exclaims when he sees Duen. “I didn’t know you would be here!” He rushes over and Duen squats down to give him a hug. “Did you miss me?”</p><p>“Of course! You missed me too, right?” He ruffles the boy’s hair. They’ve grown closer, although Duen still keeps a close eye on him whenever he’s around Daonua—he’s only just forgiven Ben for stealing her first kiss.</p><p>“Uhuh!”</p><p>“Did you miss me?” Bohn asks as he takes Ben’s bag. Duen stands up.</p><p>“Mmm, yeah,” Ben says. </p><p>Bohn pouts. “You miss Duen more than you miss me?”</p><p>“P’Duen makes me food. You make me do my homework.”</p><p>Bohn smiles. “Speaking of homework…”</p><p>“P’Bohn!” Ben whines.</p><p>“If you get it all done before we go pick up Daonua then we can go out for ice cream later.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“I promise.”</p><p>“Okay!”</p><p>Duen tries to hide his smile. They were already planning to go for ice cream. They were going to bring a packed lunch to the park, let Ben and Daonua play for a bit, and finish their outing with ice cream, but they hadn't told the last part to Ben or Daonua. </p><p>Ben doesn’t have a lot of homework—a worksheet of simple math problems and packet of reading comprehension specially designed for students learning Thai as their second language. Duen and Bohn make the packed lunches as Ben does his homework. When he finishes, Bohn checks over his work and helps him to correct his mistakes.</p><p>The lunches are packed into a large cloth bag, which is brought down to Bohn’s car along with a blanket and Duen's belongings. They drive over to Duen's house to pick up Daonua. She’s waiting outside for them when they pull into the driveway. </p><p>At the park, they walk along a shady path to the playground. Bohn and Duen walk a couple meters behind the kids, carrying the bag with the lunches and the blanket. They walk close to each other, their arms brush together a few times.</p><p>For such a sunny day, the park isn’t too crowded. They spread out the blanket under a tree that's close to the playground.</p><p>“What do we have for lunch, P’Duen?” Daonua asks excitedly.</p><p>“We have sandwiches, mango, and chips,” Duen says, passing out the lunches.</p><p>“No dessert?” she asks, disappointed.</p><p>“We’re going to get ice cream!” Ben exclaims.</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Mhm,” Bohn nods. “Since N'Ben finished all of his homework before we left, we’ll stop and get ice cream before I drop you and your brother off.”</p><p>Daonua smiles widely and takes a large bite out of her sandwich.</p><p>They eat slowly. Ben and Daonua take turns telling Bohn and Duen about the games they play at recess. They’ve moved on from playing house—Daonua likes to play ‘potions’ and create muddy mixtures that her secretly evil apprentice, Ben, tries to sabotage. Their game is somehow part of a larger game of pirates and mermaids that they play with the rest of their class.</p><p>There are more people in the park when they finish eating. Several of Ben and Daonua’s classmates are playing on the playground, their parents watching from the benches. They run off to join them.</p><p>Duen and Bohn clean up and watch the kids play from the blanket. Duen sits against the back of the tree, his legs stretched out in front of him. Bohn lies down and rests his head on Duen’s legs. </p><p>“Comfortable?” Duen asks.</p><p>Bohn closes his eyes and clasps his hands over his stomach. “Yes, but your legs wouldn’t be my first choice for a pillow.”</p><p>“No?”</p><p>“No. Maybe your shoulder…” Bohn trails off. He opens his eyes and smiles mischievously. “Or maybe your tummy.” He pokes Duen’s stomach lightly.</p><p>“Bohn!” Duen grabs his stomach. “What are you trying to say about my stomach?”</p><p>Bohn turns his head and kisses the spot where he poked Duen. “That I love it. My boyfriend is so handsome.”</p><p>“Bohn!” Duen blushes. “You’re so public with your affections.”</p><p>“Who’s paying attention?” Bohn closes his eyes again.</p><p>“Going to nap?”</p><p>“Mhm.”</p><p>“I’ll watch the kids.”</p><p>“Mhm.”</p><p>Duen turns his attention back to the playground. There are a lot of kids playing but it’s easy to spot Ben and Daonua. It looks like they’re playing their game of potions master and evil apprentice and pirates and mermaids with their classmates. Daonua’s hands are covered in mud and she’s smearing her ‘potion’ on the playground equipment. Ben adds grass to her mixture when she’s not looking.</p><p>Duen’s legs are starting to go numb and he tries to shift them slightly without disturbing Bohn. He can’t tell if his boyfriend is really asleep, but he doesn’t seem bothered when Duen tucks his ankle under his knee.</p><p>Bohn is so handsome, Duen doesn’t want to take his eyes off of him. He looks so peaceful when he’s asleep. Duen traces a finger over his eyebrows, down his nose, across his cheek bone, and along his jawline. He pushes Bohn’s hair across his forehead. Bohn must really be asleep, otherwise he’d be teasing Duen.</p><p>He hears a loud shout from the playground and looks up. One of the moms is yelling at Daonua and Ben, the rest of the kids and parents are staring.</p><p>“Bohn,” Duen says urgently. “Bohn get up.”</p><p>“Hmm?” Bohn opens his eyes sleepily.</p><p>“It’s the kids, get up.”</p><p>Bohn sits up and scratches his head as Duen rushes over to Ben and Daonua. Bohn blinks his eyes a couple times, before he scrambles up and follows Duen.</p><p>“What are you doing? Why are you yelling at them? What happened?” Duen asks the woman. She’s standing with a boy who looks to be a few years older than Ben and Daonua. He has mud smeared on his face. Daonua looks close to tears and Ben is sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest and his head hidden in his arms.</p><p>“Is this your daughter?” the woman snaps.</p><p>“My <i>Nong</i>,” Duen corrects. He feels uneasy. Bohn is next to him now, kneeling next to Ben and talking to him quietly.</p><p>“Your <i>Nong</i> threw mud in my son’s face!”</p><p>Duen frowns slightly. “N’Daonua. Did you throw mud at her son’s face?”</p><p>“I didn’t throw it,” she says. She looks frustrated and upset and Duen doesn’t want her to cry. He squats down next to her.</p><p>“It’s okay, I won’t get mad,” he says, looking in her eyes. “Will you tell me why you put mud on his face?”</p><p>She sniffles and wipes her nose with her wrist. “He- he was being mean and making fun o-of the way that Ben speaks.” She sniffles again. “He said that Ben doesn't belong here.”</p><p>“Did you ask him to stop?” Daonua nods. “And when he didn’t, you rubbed mud onto his face,” Duen guesses.</p><p>“It was a potion to make him nicer,” Daonua explains. She still looks upset, but less so than before.</p><p>“I understand,” Duen says. “But don’t do something like this again, okay?”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“Next time come and find me or Bohn. Or if it happens at school, find your teacher and tell her what happened, okay?”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“Alright.” Duen stands up. The woman is fuming, obviously unsatisfied with the way Duen spoke to his <i>Nong</i>.</p><p>“Your sister owes my son an apology!”</p><p>Duen frowns. “I understand why you’re upset. I’m sorry that my sister rubbed mud onto your son’s face and I will help him clean up…” he trails off. Should he make Daonua apologize?</p><p>“She needs to apologize!” the woman demands.</p><p>"I think..." he hesitates for a moment, "that your son needs to apologize first.”</p><p>“Are you crazy? My son doesn’t have to apologize! He’s the one who has <i>mud</i> on his <i>face</i>!”</p><p>“Mud can be washed off, but mean words won’t be forgotten. I’m sorry that my sister responded in such a manner. She knows better now, it won’t happen again.”</p><p>“You’re not going to make her apologize?” The woman is outraged. Duen’s heart is racing. He tries to stay calm. He doesn’t want to lose his temper in front of everyone, especially Ben and Daonua.</p><p>“I’m not going to make her apologize for standing up for her friend.”</p><p>
  <i>SMACK!</i>
</p><p>It takes a moment before Duen feels the sting on his cheek. She hadn’t held back and it <i>hurt</i>. Bohn stands up quickly and puts himself between the woman and Duen. She lunges at Duen, but Bohn holds her back. Everyone is staring. Daonua starts to cry.</p><p>“Mom.” Her son speaks up for the first time. He looks slightly embarrassed. “Let’s just go.”</p><p>The woman stops trying to lunge at Duen, but that doesn’t stop her from saying to him, “You’re scum.  You’re a horrible influence on her. You’re raising her to be a spoiled brat. And he," she points at Ben, "should learn how to speak Thai.” She grabs her son’s hand and storms away.</p><p>Bohn turns to face Duen. He looks pissed off. “Let’s go somewhere else.” Duen nods and picks up Daonua, who hasn’t stopped crying. She wraps her arms around his neck and tucks her face into his shoulder. Bohn takes Ben’s hand and they walk back to gather their belongings.</p><p>Bohn doesn’t let go of Ben’s hand as he stuffs the blanket into the bag they used to hold the lunches. He slings it over his shoulder and they leave. </p><p>They walk until the playground is out of sight. They should talk now that no one is staring at them. Bohn sits Ben down on a bench.</p><p>“Do you want to sit down?” Duen asks Daonua. She clings to him tighter and shakes her head. “Do you want to sit together?” She nods. Duen sits down next to Ben, Daonua sits on his knee. Bohn stands in front of them. His hands are on his hips, but he looks less angry than before.</p><p>“That woman was way out of line,” he says. He squats down in front of Ben. “N’Ben, don’t pay attention to a word she or her son said, okay?” Ben nods. “It’s hard to learn a new language, it takes a long time, and you’re doing a very good job. If someone says something like that to you again, you need to tell me or your mom, understand?”</p><p>“I understand.”</p><p>“Okay.” Bohn ruffles his head before stepping in front of Duen and Daonua.</p><p>“N’Daonua,” he says softly.</p><p>“Hm?” she hums, the sound muffled by Duen’s chest.</p><p>“N’Daonua,” he repeats. She turns her head a little and side eyes him. Tears linger on her cheeks.</p><p>“It’s okay,” Bohn says, reaching forward to brush the tears from her cheek with his thumb. “Thank you for standing up for N’Ben. I’m glad he has a friend like you.”</p><p>Her lower lip trembles, but she doesn't look like she'll cry again. “I’ll tell P’Duen first next time something happens,” she says.</p><p>“Good girl.” Bohn smiles and pats her head. He stands up.</p><p>“Duen.” Duen looks up at his boyfriend. Bohn reaches forward and gently tilts Duen’s head so he can look at the still red cheek. He winces. “Does it hurt?”</p><p>“Mhm. It burns.”</p><p>Bohn looks around quickly before leaning forward and gently kissing his cheek. </p><p>“We’ll talk more later,” he whispers into Duen’s ear. Duen nods.</p><p>Bohn straightens up. “You know what will make us all feel better?”</p><p>“Ice cream?” Ben asks.</p><p>Bohn nods. “Let’s go.”	</p><p>———————————————————————————————</p><p>Ben and Daonua cheer up once they get their ice cream. Duen tries to match their cheeriness. His cheek doesn’t hurt anymore, especially after Bohn pressed his cup of ice cream against his face, the cold stopping the burn. Inside he feels horrible. He can’t stop thinking about what the woman said to him. Is he a bad influence on Daonua? Should he have made her apologize? How would his parents handle that situation? He can feel Bohn staring at him—does he agree with Duen’s decision?</p><p>They finish their ice cream and Bohn drives them back to Duen’s house. Daonua and Ben are asleep when they arrive. Duen wakes his sister up, grabs his bag, and they get out of the car. </p><p>Bohn gets out of the car too. He squats down and gives Daonua a hug.</p><p>“Go inside first, okay? I need to talk to your <i>Phi</i> for a minute.”</p><p>She nods and runs off.</p><p>Bohn stands up and takes Duen’s hands. Duen looks down. He feels like he’s about to cry.</p><p>“Duen, are you okay?” </p><p>Duen shakes his head. Tears are welling up in his eyes. “No,” he says, his voice wobbly, “I’m not okay.”</p><p>Bohn pulls him into a hug. Duen clings to him and buries his head into Bohn’s shoulder. He starts to cry.</p><p>Bohn holds Duen close. “It’s okay,” he whispers. He presses a kiss to Duen’s temple. “It’s okay,” he repeats.</p><p>Duen takes a moment to catch his breath before asking, “Should I have made her apologize?”</p><p>“No. I wouldn’t have made her apologize. Especially since that lady wasn’t going to make her son apologize. You did the right thing. I’m proud of you.”</p><p>Duen takes a small step back so they’re face to face, their arms still around each other. “Do you think I’m a bad influence on N’Daonua?” he asks.</p><p>“Of course not. You’re a good <i>Phi</i> to N’Daonua. N’Ben too—I’m glad he has someone like you to look up to.”</p><p>Duen takes a deep breath. He’s feeling calmer and isn't crying anymore. “I’m sorry, I just—everything hit me at once.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Bohn reassures him. “She was horrible to you, but you handled the situation so well.” He pats Duen’s head. “Are you feeling better?”</p><p>“Mhm,” Duen nods. “I don’t know how I’m going to tell my parents what happened.”</p><p>Bohn thinks for a moment. “I’ll have to tell N’Ben’s mom too. We should also tell their teacher—so many of their classmates saw what happened.”</p><p>Duen nods. “You’re right.”</p><p>They're both quiet for a moment.</p><p>“You should probably go home,” Duen says reluctantly. He doesn't want to say goodbye yet.</p><p>“Probably,” Bohn agrees. “Call me if you start to feel upset again, okay?”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“Even if you don’t feel upset, call me anyway.”</p><p>Duen smiles. “I will.”</p><p>Bohn leans forward. “Kiss?”</p><p>Duen leans in and gives his boyfriend a sweet kiss goodbye. Bohn also kisses his cheek before he gets into his car. They wave goodbye to each other, and Bohn starts the car and pulls out of their driveway.</p><p>——————————————————————————————</p><p>That night, after dinner, after talking with his parents, and after his shower, Duen sits in his bed and calls Bohn.</p><p>“Are you calling because you’re upset or because you miss me?” Bohn asks when he picks up the phone.</p><p>“I'm calling because I know my boyfriend misses me.”</p><p>“I’m so lucky to have a boyfriend that takes care of me… but seriously, you’re okay right?”</p><p>“Yeah. I talked with my parents. Actually, N’Daonua brought it up, so they heard her version first.”</p><p>“What did they say?”</p><p>“Not much. I think they were surprised. But Dad talked to me after Mom brought N’Daonua upstairs for a bath—Mom probably talked with her while she was in the bath.”</p><p>“What did your dad say?”</p><p>“Not a lot—but he seemed happy with how I handled things. Oh! He said that he would call their teacher and that we shouldn’t worry about it… By the way, how is N’Ben doing?”</p><p>“He’s okay—I let him beat me at a couple rounds of Super Smash Bros, so he went to bed happy. This also isn’t the first time someone has said something about his accent, although no one else has been as outright mean and xenophobic as that kid and his mom were.”</p><p>“He’s already in bed?”</p><p>“Yeah, he started to get tired after dinner.” Bohn ends his sentence with a yawn.</p><p>“It seems like you’re tired too. It’s been a long day, you should go to sleep soon—I know you have a lot of homework to do tomorrow.”</p><p>“You too, go to bed early.”</p><p>“I will.”</p><p>“And call me when you wake up. As soon as you wake up.”</p><p>“Will you be awake?”</p><p>“I won’t. I’m not going to set an alarm, so you have to call me tomorrow morning. Otherwise, I won’t wake up.”</p><p>“Ben will wake you up.”</p><p>“Impossible. I’ll only wake up to your call, so you have to call, okay?"</p><p>"I have to call?"</p><p>"You have to. Think of Ben. What will he do if I sleep forever because my boyfriend didn’t call to wake me up?”</p><p>“You’re ridiculous,” Duen says, smiling widely.</p><p>“So you’ll call me then?”</p><p>“I’ll call you.”</p><p>“Good. Call me at lunch too. And when you’re going to the library, and coming from the library. Call me after dinner, and before bed too.”</p><p>Duen laughs. “I’ll be on the phone all day then. Neither of us will get any work done.”</p><p>“What can I do? I won’t see you until Monday!”</p><p>Duen rolls his eyes. He knows that Bohn is pouting right now. “Distance makes the heart grow fonder,” he says.</p><p>“I don’t know how I could grow more fond of you, but it seems to happen every day,” Bohn says sweetly.</p><p>“Bohn! You’re going to give me a cavity!” Duen is blushing so much, he’s glad he didn’t video call Bohn.</p><p>Bohn laughs, then yawns.</p><p>“Let’s go to bed,” Duen says.</p><p>“I’m already in bed.”</p><p>“Let’s go to sleep.”</p><p>“I’m already asleep.”</p><p>Duen rolls his eyes. “Sleep,” he says.</p><p>“I will. Don’t forget to call me tomorrow.”</p><p>“I won’t.”</p><p>“Goodnight.”</p><p>“Goodnight… and Bohn?”</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>“Thank you...for earlier. I'd still be upset if it weren't for you.”</p><p>“I'll always take care of you... Sweet dreams.”</p><p>“Sweet dreams.”</p><p>They hang up, and Duen falls asleep quickly.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I was going to keep this happy and fluffy because I wanted to show that Bohn and Duen have a better understanding of how the other gives and receives affection. Bohn is all about physical affection, and that was the focus of the first chapter. Duen seems to best respond to words of affirmation. I tried to show that a little in the first chapter, but I wanted to create a situation that shows the weight that words carry for Duen. That's why this turned from a complete fluff fic to one with a bit of hurt/comfort.</p><p>I made a couple of references as well. Their coffee orders reference Latte and Mocha from YYY the Series, and when Bohn asks Duen to call him multiple times throughout the day, that was a slight reference to Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo.</p><p>Thank you for reading this!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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